1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to hybrid cases for the protection of stringed musical instruments. More particularly, the invention relates hybrid cases that provide enhanced protection and convenience for either one or two such instruments. Accordingly, the general objects of the invention are to provide novel methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Related Art
The worldwide popularity of stringed instruments such as guitars, basses, cellos, violins, mandolins, ukuleles, etc in the last several decades has led to many advances in these instruments as well as related accessories. One such accessory that has seen a wide variety of improvements is the protective case. Such cases are now available in a number of basic styles with a wide variety of materials and features that offer some combination of improved ergonomics, lower cost, lighter weight, and/or better protection. For example, instrument cases are now available in three basic styles (the soft case—or gig-bag—, the hard-shell case and the hybrid case). Cases for protecting individual guitars are now widely available in all of these three styles.
Some musicians who play stringed musical instruments such as guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, etc., however, play more than one instrument during the course of a performance. This may be because alternative instruments are tuned to different keys, because the instruments are of different types, such as six-string and twelve string varieties, or simply because variation between instruments simply makes one preferred by the artist over another for the performance of a particular song. The availability of a second instrument also allows the performer to rapidly switch from one instrument to another as in the case of string breakage during a performance. When more than one instrument case has to be carried by a musician, however, it results in a bulky, awkward load to be carried. This is particularly true since most conventional hard shell cases are made of a heavy, crush-proof material that significantly enlarges the volume of the carrying case.
In an effort to overcome these deficiencies and improve convenience, rudimentary double cases have been developed. Two examples of such designs include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,283,287 and 4,795,030. While these and other designs presently available on the market do accommodate two stringed instruments, they also fall short of providing an optimal combination of protection, convenience and economy.
It is therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide improvements in carrying cases for stringed musical instruments which overcome the disadvantages associated with earlier types of cases.